Pale breasted Spinetail (Synallaxis albescens)

[order] Passeriformes | [family] Furnariidae | [latin] Synallaxis albescens | [UK] Pale-breasted Spinetail | [FR] Codaspinosa pettopallido | [DE] Weissbauch-Dickichtschlupfer | [ES] Pijui Pechiblanco | [IT] Codaspinosa pettopallido | [NL] Temminck-stekelstaart

A slender bird with a medium long tail. The upperparts are mainly pale brown, with darker wings and tail. Rufous crown and shoulder patches, the throat and underparts are whitish with browner flanks. The sexes are similar, but the race josephinae has grey on the forecrown, face sides and chest. Bill is black, lower mandible partial or totally grey.

Occurs widely from southern Central America through much of South America. It occurs in Costa Rica, Panama, northern Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, most of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, eastern Peru, Uruguay, and northern and central Argentina. In Suriname this bird is found in undergrowth of sandy wasteland and savanna regions.

A widespread and common resident breeder in grasland of urban wasteland and open plots. As long as there is some openness and tall grass. .

Builds a large nest, a ball of small sticks, dried grass and sometimes snakeskin and spiderweb with a small long entrance. The nest mostly 0.6-2 meter above ground and is about 15-40 cm long. The innerchamber has sometimes 2 entrances. This species is often parasitized by the Striped Cuckoo. Clutch size 2-4 eggs, incubated by both sexes for a little two weeks. The young fledge after 16 days.

Diet consists of anthropods gealning form the foliage surface. Usually hunts in pairs, in the understorey up to 3 meter.

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 9,900,000 km2. The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be large as the species is described as ‘common’ in at least parts of its range (Stotz et al. 1996). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Sedentary throughout range.

Title LIMITED GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN THE VOCALIZATIONS OF
A NEOTROPICAL FURNARIID, SYNALLAXIS ALBESCENS

Author(s): CATHERINE LINDELL

Abstract: I recorded and analyzed vocalizations of Synallaxi..[more]..

Source: Wilson Bull., 110(3), 1998, pp. 368-374